Laura Isoniemi - The Patterned Mind - Creative Methods In Surface Design

Laura Isoniemi

The Patterned Mind

Creative Methods in Surface Design

Dedicated to Ilona, Petra, Anna and Eric

The Patterned Mind

The Patterned Mind

Creative Methods in Surface Design

Laura Isoniemi

Contents

A hairband as a graphical circle, 2011, Laura Isoniemi.

On the previous spread: pattern studies, 2018, Laura Isoniemi.

UNDERSTANDING

WITH YOUR HANDS

permission

to fail

joy of doing

prototyping

permission

to make

a mess

learning by doing

direct path

to action

straightforwardness

inventing out

of nothing

you do not

need to

understand

what you are

doing

the vast room

of possibilities

enjoyment

play

Factors related to creativity Factors related to ways of doing Factors related to pleasure

ELEMENTS OF UNDERSTANDING WITH YOUR HANDS

Laura Isoniemi

Handling the World Creatively

In one of his interviews I , the famous Finnish basketball coach, Henrik Dettmann, broke the essence and meaning of a coach and coaching down into three factors. Firstly, the coach must respect and value the game, and also teach this to the players. This builds genuine motivation for practising or an in-depth understanding of and passion for the game. Secondly, the coachs job is to make sure the players are able to learn, and to support their learning in all ways possible, but at the same time, this is a learning process and an opportunity to develop for the coach, as well. It is about a journey together; the coach is learning and developing together with the players. As the third and the most difficult part in coaching, Dettmann specifies letting go of the control that is built on the coachs authority; setting your own ego aside, facing things with an open mind and using your creativity. In practice, this means that the coach must let go of the players; trust them completely, give them freedom and responsibility but also be there for them, if necessary.

Dettmanns thoughts about coaching came to mind when I pondered how Laura Isoniemis teaching and learning philosophy has developed. I have followed, and much to my delight, also been occasionally able to support, Isoniemis teaching in different courses and projects for over twenty years. Understanding that learners can be differ- ent, and supporting learning specifically from this starting point, has always played an important role in her activities. The elements of the concept of learning include experientialism as information source, open-mindedness and a multidisciplinary

approach, combined with creative understanding with hands , which is accompanied by feeling, observation and conceptualisation.